Dumbo and Stone Kamasutra?

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"As you know, India is a country with an impressive range of landscapes and cultures spread out all over the sub-continent. Before heading north to Bombay and Rajasthan, we felt it was necessary to catch a brief but potent taste of that distinct southern flavor. Since we are keen on architecture and wilderness, hammering out a little itinerary was quick and painless.

Our first stop was Mudumalai National Park. Though it boasts tigers, jaguars, black panthers, boar, wild dog, monkeys, pythons and slews of spotted deer, we came with hopes of spotting one of the parks 600 elephants. We arranged a trek and set out the next morning shortly before sunrise. It took our guide about ten minutes to lead us to a series of large, perfectly round, muddy circles leading off across the plain. Since the rainy season is already underway we had to move quickly. With watering holes abound the elephant move continuously; roaming some 50 km per day. After one and a half hours of brisk walking we stopped to rest on a large boulder at the edge of a forest. Our guide wondered into woods but in another minute shot back out and scrambled up the rock, urging us to be quiet and listen. We heard nothing, but began to see a large form materializing in the brush, silent as a ghost. It was a large female elephant with a baby on her heels. They did something of a half circle pass around our rock, but decided to turn around and this time crashed back rather violently into the woods. The whole episode had come and gone in some 90 seconds. It was spectacular!

After the park we moved onto the ancient religious centers of Belure and Halebid. They were contemporaries of the aforementioned Angkor Wat, and bore striking similarities and differences. Though they are on a small scale, they are extremely ornate. Like Angkor, each building, inside and out, is covered in sculpture. Unlike Angkor, the ornament on these buildings was made primarily out of soapstone (more durable than the sandstone found at Angkor), and to this day is in near perfect condition. The theme here revolves around Hindu deities and all there escapades, as well as scenes depicting daily life. The sculpture is akin to three dimensional stained-glass windows, as each scene is loaded with symbolism and often is telling a specific story. It is also comforting to see the ancient temples still used in daily rituals as they near there 1,000th birthday. "